THOMAS TOWNSHIP, MI — Officials with the Thomas Township Fire Department responded to a house fire in the area of Deborah and South River in the early morning hours of Sunday, Feb. 9.

Saginaw County 911 issued a media text alert about 4:30 a.m. Sunday regarding the fire. According to Saginaw County 911, South River was closed at Stroebel Road for a period of time as a result of the fire.

Neighbors told The Saginaw News that people live in the house, located at 7021 Deborah, but they were not home at the time of the fire.

Neighbor Stacey Matuzak, 33, said a young couple and two girls live there.

“Thank God nobody was home. Just tragic,” she said. “It was all pretty much up in flames when we went down there.”

The house, gutted by the fire, sits on the end of the quiet, snowy street nearest to River Road.

Two snow-covered vehicles are parked in front of the home, which is surrounded by yellow tape.

According to Saginaw County 911, several fire departments assisted and it took about four hours to clear the scene. No injuries were reported.

Saginaw County Road Commission crews then responded to thaw out the road which had iced over because of the water used to fight the fire.

It is unclear what caused the fire.

Carolyn Berenyi, 79, lives across the street with her husband Steve Berenyi, 67.

“We just saw it on fire during the night,” she said.

Carolyn Berenyi said she doesn’t know the family, and they’re fairly new to the street.

“I think they’ve only been there a couple of years or three,” she said.

Fire department officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

— Heather Jordan covers business for MLive/The Saginaw News/The Bay City Times. She can be reached at 989-450-2652 or hjordan@mlive.com. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.